borris bikes? opinions now they work.

asprilla

doublereds wrote:

I seen them around town, admired the sticker defacement, and looked at the tarrif thing.
Said a quid for a 24hr I'm sure, which sounds a deal, was going to get some from soho one but realised you need to have some key/fob

do you have to drop it back to the same rack that you get it out from?
I'm guessing that you do, else you might be stuck with the bike and not having anywhere to return it when done.
Ok for tourists, but it would be nice to get one from one side of town and be able to drop it off at any rack elsewhere in town, not the case though is it?

You can drop it off in any rack and although there might not be spaces in the rack you want there should be abother rack within a short distance.

£1 is for 24 hour access to the system, you then need to pay for the time you have a bike out as well. The bike is free for the first 30 minutes.

TBH, I find the whole pricing thing too complicated. I know it's not difficult, but it would be better if if was a single price (for the bike) rather than a bike and an access charge.

Am going to be on PT Thursday and Friday, but I've not got myself a fob. I should have thought about this before. Boo.

Big Wib

doublereds wrote:

I seen them around town, admired the sticker defacement, and looked at the tarrif thing.
Said a quid for a 24hr I'm sure, which sounds a deal, was going to get some from soho one but realised you need to have some key/fob

do you have to drop it back to the same rack that you get it out from?
I'm guessing that you do, else you might be stuck with the bike and not having anywhere to return it when done.
Ok for tourists, but it would be nice to get one from one side of town and be able to drop it off at any rack elsewhere in town, not the case though is it?

er yes it is. pick up & drop anywhere within zone 1

currently you need the key fob but it will be opened to casual use at some point.

When I was down last week, in the morning they had a stack of bikes at Kings Cross which they were putting onto the stands as fast as people took bikes. Similarly at Waterloo on the way back they had people loading bikes for transport elsewhere almost as fast as people arrived.

That being said at Vauxhall in the morning, the bike I dropped off was only the second one on the rack so going the other way might have been a bit of a struggle.

Bilboben

In Paris you see little tractors towing racks of bikes around to the places they are needed. I sure once something like that that is developed things will sort out.

tgotb

Bilboben wrote:

In Paris you see little tractors towing racks of bikes around to the places they are needed. I sure once something like that that is developed things will sort out.

They already exist, basically a milk float towing a custom trailer which looks like it takes ~20 bikes. They just underestimated how many would be required...

tgotb

Bilboben wrote:

In Paris you see little tractors towing racks of bikes around to the places they are needed. I sure once something like that that is developed things will sort out.

They already exist, basically a milk float towing a custom trailer which looks like it takes ~20 bikes. They just underestimated how many would be required...

doublereds

Ah ok, that's better then, I just thought it would be a nightmare if you get all the way to the drop off rack and no spaces left, i'd want to abandon it there and forget about going out my way to drop elsewher... Then have to walk back again!
I guess once you know where they all are, the next nearest one will only be a couple roads away, didn't really think that.

The payment method is off putting for me though, I'll probably never ride one.

In Am*dam they love a bike eh, wonder if their system is better?
The bikes ain't - back pedal to brake - strange

asprilla

TGOTB wrote:

Bilboben wrote:

In Paris you see little tractors towing racks of bikes around to the places they are needed. I sure once something like that that is developed things will sort out.

They already exist, basically a milk float towing a custom trailer which looks like it takes ~20 bikes. They just underestimated how many would be required...

That's the point of theses first few months before they open it up casual users though isn't it; they can geta proper idea of how many bikes are needed where and when.

Bilboben

Oh right, haven't seen them yet have seen bikes being loaded into the backs of vans. I presumed they were the puncture repairers or someone making a nice little earner ....... but on the other hand where would you sell them ...... and don't say Brick Lane Market!

Bilboben

There is an iphone App that displays your nearest stations and how many spaces and how many bikes are left at each one has worked accurately for me so far.

asprilla

Anyone know how long it takes for a fob to come once you've ordered it?

tgotb

Asprilla wrote:

Anyone know how long it takes for a fob to come once you've ordered it?

I ordered mine on a Wednesday morning, arrived in the post that Friday.

biondino

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

I can't help thinking that it's only a matter of time before a Borris Bike rider is involved in a serious accident due to inexperience or undue care on what can be rather dangerous roads.

I think this is a certainty but I also hope it doesn't get some kind of kneejerk reaction when it does happen. Bikes sometimes have accidents. Grown-ups should be able to judge the risk and make their own decisions. Helmets would be a terrible idea so let's hope this sacrificial lamb doesn't split his or her skull open.

asprilla

TGOTB wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Anyone know how long it takes for a fob to come once you've ordered it?

I ordered mine on a Wednesday morning, arrived in the post that Friday.

Cool, there is a chance I'll be able to use one on Friday then (when I've just noticed it's going to be raining).

tgotb

Asprilla wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Anyone know how long it takes for a fob to come once you've ordered it?

I ordered mine on a Wednesday morning, arrived in the post that Friday.

Cool, there is a chance I'll be able to use one on Friday then (when I've just noticed it's going to be raining).

You have to "register" the fob online once you get it. Doesn't take long, but don't grab the unopened envelope on your way out of the house and then expect to be able to get a bike before you've done that.

asprilla

TGOTB wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Anyone know how long it takes for a fob to come once you've ordered it?

I ordered mine on a Wednesday morning, arrived in the post that Friday.

Cool, there is a chance I'll be able to use one on Friday then (when I've just noticed it's going to be raining).

You have to "register" the fob online once you get it. Doesn't take long, but don't grab the unopened envelope on your way out of the house and then expect to be able to get a bike before you've done that.

Cheers. It would have to arrive Thursday for me to use Friday so I'll register it that night. Our morning post arrives some time in the early afternoon.

Bilboben

Miy fob arrived on the second day after request. The website was down the first time I tried to register. You can telephone but the admin people don't seem to be coping at the moment. I tried the website a couple of hours later and it worked. There is a survey for users of the bikes on the LCC website if you have time to complete it.

tgotb

I nearly forgot, don't taste the fob :-)

Specialized Needs

Asprilla wrote:

You can drop it off in any rack and although there might not be spaces in the rack you want there should be abother rack within a short distance.

Also: the terminal at the rack will tell you the current status of the nearby racks (number of bikes & spare docking points). Unfortunately it does not use these names for the docking points on the map next to the terminal :roll:

You are also supposed to be able to extend your usage period by a few minutes if the current dock is full, although I haven't used this so I don't know exactly how it works.

Asprilla wrote:

£1 is for 24 hour access to the system, you then need to pay for the time you have a bike out as well. The bike is free for the first 30 minutes.

Also: you can pick up and drop off bikes serially (to complete longer journeys for free), but need to leave a 5 minute gap between them. Keep an eye on the 30 mins!

Asprilla wrote:

Am going to be on PT Thursday and Friday, but I've not got myself a fob. I should have thought about this before. Boo.

Get an application in now. With luck you may have it by tomorrow, or at the worst Thursday's post (although some people have reported it taking longer).

Specialized Needs

Bilboben wrote:

Oh right, haven't seen them yet have seen bikes being loaded into the backs of vans. I presumed they were the puncture repairers or someone making a nice little earner ....... but on the other hand where would you sell them ...... and don't say Brick Lane Market!

IIRC there are 10 electric vehicles and they (SERCO) have added 10 cars once they realised they had underestimated demand. The carrier trailers carry 20 bikes in a 'continental' fashion (i.e. front wheel upwards).

The bikes would be wonderful on tube strike days - if the infrastructure could cope. But the movers won't be able to get through the traffic :? Perhaps they could employ staff to cycle the bikes back from full to empty stands?

ETA: it may have been 20 electric and 20 additional cars.

EKE_38BPM

biondino wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

I can't help thinking that it's only a matter of time before a Borris Bike rider is involved in a serious accident due to inexperience or undue care on what can be rather dangerous roads.

I think this is a certainty but I also hope it doesn't get some kind of kneejerk reaction when it does happen. Bikes sometimes have accidents. Grown-ups should be able to judge the risk and make their own decisions. Helmets would be a terrible idea so let's hope this sacrificial lamb doesn't split his or her skull open.

And from page 1:

zanes wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

[crystal ball gazing] There will be a serious Boris Bike accident. Barclays will rethink their sponsorship of the whole thing and some up themselves pressure group will push for helmets to be compulsory (even though a helmet wouldn't have helped in any way with that particular accident). [/crystal ball gazing]

I think we can all see whats going to happen and yet hope we're very wrong.

+1